West Cork Literary Festival announces virtual event with Deirdre Sullivan and Louise O'Neill

AWARD-WINNING author for children and young adults, Deirdre Sullivan, will be in conversation with Cork writer Louise O’Neill for an online event hosted by the West Cork Literary Festival.

The event, which takes place next week, is in celebration of the launch of Deirdre Sullivan’s first book for adults, I Want to Know That I Will Be Okay.

Described as a “dark, glittering collection of short stories”, I Want to Know That I Will Be Okay explores “the trauma and power that reside in women’s bodies”.

A native of Galway Deirdre has written seven acclaimed books for young adults, including Savage Her Reply, Perfectly Preventable Deaths and Tangleweed and Brine.

She was the recipient of the CBI Book of the Year Award in 2018 and the An Post Irish Book Award in 2020. Her short fiction has appeared in Banshee and The Dublin Review.

In 2020, Deirdre took part in West Cork Literary Festival’s interview series whereby teenagers interviewed three writers about their work, in partnership with West Cork Music and Graffiti Theatre Company as part of their ReadOn programme.

On Thursday, May 13, she will discuss her new book with acclaimed writer, Louise O’Neill, who hails from Clonakilty.

Louise’s first novel, Only Ever Yours, was released in 2014. Only Ever Yours went on to win the Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year at the 2014 Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards; the Children’s Books Ireland Eilís Dillon Award for a First Children’s Book; and The Bookseller‘s inaugural YA Book Prize 2015.

Her second novel, Asking For It was published in 2015 to widespread critical acclaim. Since then, she has written two novels for adults.

Her second novel for adults, After the Silence, was published in September 2020 and won the Crime Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. It has been optioned for screen by Tiger Aspect.

Tickets for the virtual event on May 13 at 7pm cost €5 and are available to purchase from the West Cork Literary Festival website https://www.westcorkmusic.ie/literary-festival/programme/